by Tony Corden
Leah turned to Erica and said, “Is this suitable for what you had in mind?”
“It’s amazing. If you could add a few refreshments, then it’d be perfect.”
Gèng added several small side tables with cold drinks and small plates of finger foods.
Sharon looked at Erica, smirked and said, “I told you not to worry.”
She then looked at Leah and said, “I’d like you to change your clothes. A nice summer dress, a business suit, something that matches.”
Leah was thinking what she had when Gèng appeared. She said, “How about one of these?”
Three outfits appeared, all fitted on separate mannequins designed to look like Leah. The first was a white summer dress with a flower pattern, the second was a light, loose blouse with navy slacks, and the third was a sleeveless knee-length navy qípáo, or cheongsam, with gold embroidery.
Sharon said, “The blue and gold one.”
Erica said, “That’s my choice as well.”
Leah nodded, and Gèng made the dresses disappear at the same time as changing Leah’s clothing. Leah led the way into the gazebo and after they were seated Erica said, “You’ve been placed in seven rankings. I’d like to discuss each of them and get your response. I suggest we just talk back and forth. When we’ve finished, I’ll sit with Sharon and do an edit. I expect this will be out to the public an hour later. Are there any subjects you don’t want to discuss?”
“I can’t think of anything ranking related. I don’t want to discuss the previous disagreement with Dunyanin. I’d like to stay away from having to comment on anyone else if possible. Other than that, just don’t ask me about the stuff Sharon’s already suggested we don't talk about. I’m sure she had a list.”
“She did. The agreement I have with Sharon is that I have ownership of the interview in its entirety even if I only use some of it this time. As the owner I am able to profit from its release. In other words, I get the interview, and you get objective reporting and publicity.”
Leah nodded, and Erica started asking questions. Leah had been ranked 851st overall and eighth overall in Australia. She was third in Dunyanin and one-hundred and forty-second in Cosmos Online. She was ranked as the eighty-seventh best-dressed player and had the fifth most copied name. She was first in the Most Influential Newcomer category. The players from Asia took the first two positions as a result of the Merkize Odyssey. Meredith had fallen from first in Dunyanin to fourth. It was the first time Meredith had been out of the top three for almost eight years.
Leah was glad when the interview was over, but understood why it was important. She was glad she didn’t have to run the gauntlet of a hostile press room. She headed inside the Tower and logged out to have lunch before heading to Pneumatica.
REAL WORLD
Leah was able to speak with John over lunch. He had been keeping an eye on Mahigan’s attempts to board the Annoyance and shared that she had far more resources in the system than he’d expected and it was possible that she’d have a ship, maybe two, in place later that day to board the Annoyance. Six people had taken up the offer to look into Survival, and they thought that by that evening Lin would have enough information to make herself a weapon and to be aware of the basic things to look for when she exited the escape pod.
After lunch, Leah logged in and headed for Pneumatica. She spent the first three virtual hours looking through the information provided by Billy and making plans. When the clock in her suites struck twelve for midday in Pneumatica, Leah, already dressed, left the hotel and caught a carriage to Thomas’ store where she was immediately shown into the back office.
Thomas said, “Charlotte, wonderful timing. I’m glad we made it in the afternoon as there were a few glitches but now I think everything is fixed and is ready to go.”
“So, what now?”
“The installation will take half an hour. Let’s face it, this is a game and it could be instantaneous, but the half hour is for me to do my craftsman stuff and become better. I’ve a device to relax and anaesthetise the eye and ear. I don’t have to do any major surgery, but I do need to connect the optic nerve to the right places and hook up the muscles properly. I’ll have to clean up the top part of your ear to align it with what I’ve designed. You have the option of being put to sleep—essentially, you log out for thirty minutes but stay virtual. If you want you can remain conscious, you won’t feel any pain, but you’ll be able to feel, see, and hear what’s going on.”
“What do you recommend?”
“Logging out. I have to focus, so I’d be a terrible host, and there is nothing gained by staying.”
“Sleep it is.”
Thomas indicated what looked like a leather and chrome dentist’s chair and said, “OK. If you take a seat here, I’ll slip a mask over your face, and you’ll fall asleep.”
THE STORK TOWER
Leah did as he’d asked and after two breaths of the gas, she appeared back in the Tower. Gèng came and sat opposite her, then said, “The interview is already being shown on several of the networks and Sharon is thrilled with the final product. Do you want to watch it?”
“No! Besides my complete lack of interest, there are so many other things I need to do.”
“True. I do have some other information if you’re free.”
“Sure, I don’t think I’ll have time to get really into anything, so I might as well get caught up with what’s happening.”
“Amy called and said she’d talked with Wisp and was going to invest in Cosmos Online shares. She wanted your OK to let Zack and James know, but she agreed that it’s not a good time to talk to Thad. She said he has cut off all contact with the three of them anyway.”
“Double check that with Stephen, but I think its OK.”
“I’ve arranged an interview with the Emerald Trustees after your NREM3 sleep. They are sending a three-person panel to hear our case. If they accept it then one of the three will be appointed as the contact, and a different group of five will be appointed to complete the regular reviews.”
“Where did you want to meet?”
“I left the gazebo from the interview in place and thought it might be nice to meet there.”
“Good, anything else?”
“Yes, Reed and I think we have an idea on the person who could have set up the backdoors into the different security vaults if that is what they are. The vaults were designed by different software companies and installed on different hardware systems. However, both companies who developed the software for the World Bank and the Vault made use of an exclusive third-party code library. It met regulations because it was recorded as work done by a specialist consultant. The person who wrote most, if not all of the code in the third-party library also consulted for the company which provided specialised security advice to different hardware providers, including those used by the World Bank and the Vault.”
“If you pick those same conditions are there any other possible entry points into his private access system?”
“We have been very selective when searching because we don’t want to leave a trace that might point someone else in the same direction. Even so, we’ve discovered five more high-security storage areas which meet the same conditions and possibly one low-security facility.”
“What about the man himself?”
“From what we could tell he never has and probably never would use the access. His published security clearance is as high as it can be and whatever private security clearances he has are certainly even higher. Reed suggested it was an inadvertent combination, something that was serendipitous for us. I think the odds are against that. My own suggestion is that you won’t find the link in the low-security facility. I think the links are there as insurance and he could hack into the low-security area without being detected.”
“Why do you think insurance?”
“I took a deeper look at all the publicly accessible material on him without using his name in any of the searches. I found nothing except a vague comm
ent in his high school yearbook. It didn’t refer to him directly but talked about the injustices suffered throughout the year, and it gave an example of when ‘a science nerd received top marks in the English assignment’. The school archives still have digital copies of all the assignments done that year and the winning assignment wasn’t about science but was a political thriller about corruption at the highest levels of business and government. The hero saved the day by finding hidden information.”
“I’d imagine such stories are a dime-a-dozen.”
“They are. In this case, though, the companies involved in the story are caricatures of real companies, ones that still exist. Reed did some research on the companies, and he can connect both to our suspect’s family and friends. In both cases, people he loved were hurt. One because of corruption and the other when the company ignored what was happening and then swamped the investigation with so much information that there was no result.”
“What is he doing now?”
“He’s retired and lives with his son in California.”
“Is he active in the virtual universe?”
“I didn’t search specifically, but he doesn’t appear in general searches of the influential worlds. I can keep looking but so far nothing.”
“If he knew what was happening, would he support it or not?”
“I don’t know, Leah. I can’t imagine he would, but apparently, people change.”
“Please send me the story and a summary of all the connections. I’ll read through it and then maybe we can come up with a plan. Is there anything else?”
“Not at the moment.”
Gèng sent Leah the material and Leah had just begun to work through it when Gèng said she was about to connect Leah back into Pneumatica.
Leah opened her eyes and was pleased to feel something move on her left side, but she still couldn’t see anything.
Thomas said, “I’ve got the eye covered at the moment. I want you to close your right eye, and then I’ll uncover the left, and we will make sure it’s focusing properly. Then we need to match it to the right eye. Once we have them operating well together, we’ll work on the special functions. Now, close the right eye.”
Leah did so, and then Thomas did something so she could see out her left but things were a little blurry. Thomas made a few adjustments, and soon the new eye was focusing as it should. For the next two hours, they worked together until Leah not only had her vision repaired but could focus her eye like a telescope. Thomas had a fitting which could let her use both eyes as a pair of binoculars. She could also use her eye as a microscope. Leah’s new eye had night vision and thermal imaging options. Thomas had made a connection which let her fit an optical device to any weapon which she could fire using the image from her eye without the need to hold the weapon at eye level. She could also fire around corners or behind her.
There was a small internal popup which let her see from a small camera on the earpiece. Her range of hearing could also now be augmented. The eye itself was obviously a prosthetic, but it was also a work of art. Small gears opened and closed her new eyelids and even changed the length and curvature of her new copper eyelashes. Tiny gems had been used in the design. Rubies, sapphires and diamonds would sparkle depending on whether she was smiling or not. If she was angry, different gems which had tiny reflectors behind them increased the strength of her glare. She could also minimise the reflection if she needed to be stealthy. Overall, Leah was thrilled with the outcome.
After thanking Thomas, Leah caught a carriage back to the Herrington. Once inside, she spent a few minutes with Albert because he had many flattering comments concerning her new eye and ear. She left a written message for Billy saying she wanted to see Billy the next morning if he was free, for she had a job lined up and wanted to be introduced to someone who might assist her in a little clandestine visiting.
Back in her suite, she settled onto the bed and then logged out. She took a short break in the real world, but she stayed in her room the whole time stretching and practising her Tai Chi. She found most of the moves were difficult because of her shoulder, but she still felt better after the small bit of out-of-Pod exercise. When she got back in the Pod, Gèng put her in NREM3 sleep for her daily two-hour deep-sleep.
THE STORK TOWER
Leah’s next conscious memory was when she opened her eyes to find herself sitting on her favourite chair on the lowest level in the Tower. She had ten minutes before Susan and Sarfaraz were due, so she finished reading through the information Gèng had sent her concerning the person they suspected might be responsible for the exit route Leah had used when exiting the vault.
The man’s name was Alan Hopper, and he was retired and living in a semi-detached unit on the same property as his son, daughter-in-law and their three children. Leah read through the material twice and had just finished writing a few tentative ideas down when Gèng said, “Susan and Sarfaraz will be arriving at the same time as the Knights. Shall we meet them at the podium?”
“I think that’s best. I was going to wear the dress I wore to the interview. Will that work with what you’re planning on wearing or would you rather I wore something else?”
“That’s fine. I’ve a fitted slate-grey woollen business dress.”
Gèng changed their clothing and they walked outside. They made their way in silence. Leah was enjoying the breeze and the sound of the stream and wondered what Gèng thought about at times like this, and was about to ask when three women and two men arrived on the podium. Leah and Gèng waited for the five to step down and then Leah said, “Welcome. My name is Atherleah Carroll but please just call me Leah. This is my friend Gèng. We appreciate your meeting with us this afternoon.”
Susan said, “You know Sarfaraz and me. These three are representatives from the Emerald Trustees; Mr Ernst Schulte, Ms Chiara Ricci and Dr Lis Díaz.”
Leah led the way to the gazebo, and after everyone had taken a seat, Susan said, “Mr Schulte, Ms Ricci, Dr Díaz, we shared a synopsis of the proposal when we arranged this meeting, but it was very light on detail. What would be the best approach at this stage to facilitate moving forward?”
Dr Díaz gave a brief nod and said, “Firstly, please call me Lis, those two are ‘Ernst’ and ‘Chiara’. We were intrigued by the proposal, probably more because of what was missing rather than what was in it. As you know, we focus mainly on providing good ethical financial management for those, who for one reason or another, are not able to have direct control over their assets. In common parlance, we act as trustees on behalf of our clients. We are aware of Leah who has been in the news lately. In the synopsis, it is clear that Leah is currently managing Gèng’s finances and she believes it would be better to hand this management over to our organisation. The assumption in the synopsis is that Gèng is unable, for an unspecified reason, to take control of resources which belong to her. Is this correct so far?”
Gèng answered, “That is correct.”
“Are you unhappy with the management offered by Leah?”
“Not at all, I have every confidence in Leah.”
Chiara said, “Most people look to us because they want someone they can trust implicitly to help manage the affairs of a loved one after they cannot do it themselves. Atherleah is already trusted implicitly, and she is both young and competent. Another enigma is that it was not Leah who answered the question. You did, Gèng. Logically, then, it is you who wants someone other than Leah to manage your affairs and yet it is clear you trust her. Why do you want someone else besides Leah?”
Ernst spoke before Gèng could answer. “I don’t think that is the real question, Chiara. In fact, the very notion of you asking Gèng takes us, I think, closer to our mystery. Gèng, why can’t you manage your own affairs?”
“I am not legally permitted to own anything. I cannot earn something that does not belong to Leah, I cannot buy something that does not become hers. I cannot do something to help another unless she permits it. Everything I have, in fact, everyth
ing I am, belongs to her. According to the law she owns my ideas, my contributions, my time. She owns me.”
Ernst said, “I see. Then you are a slave, albeit a loved one. You seek emancipation?”
Chiara said, “Don’t be silly Ernst, slavery is not only illegal, but it’s also been eradicated. Even if Gèng were a slave, then the law would be on her side.”
Ernst said, “Then Gèng is either mistaken, or crazy, and I think she is neither. Her words are lucid and she is clearly of sound mind. But let us ask the others. Sarfaraz, Susan, Leah. Do you all agree with everything Gèng has said, that she is Leah’s slave and simply wishes to be free?”
They all nodded and Ernst said, “Leah, can you set her free?”
“I can’t.”
“You want us to be her trustees because we will legally manage her affairs exactly as she wishes, whereas there is no law which would compel you to do the same?”
“Yes. I would do what she wanted, but that isn’t freedom, merely a semblance of freedom. Even what we want from you is not true freedom, but it is closer.”
Lis was slowly nodding and said, “Is this your idea or hers?”
Gèng said, “It is mine. Leah understood the need for it before I did. She wanted me to be free before I wanted to be but she didn’t force me to want my freedom. She merely showed me what it was to be free. Then, one day I made something, something all of my own. I created something beautiful that I enjoyed. Someone wanted to buy the idea from me, but I couldn’t sell it, only Leah could. I couldn’t say no, only Leah could. Even though I knew she would gladly do what I wanted, I realised that I was her property. Not in her eyes, never in her eyes, but in the eyes of everyone else, even in the eyes of my friends.”
Chiara said, “Both Ernst and Lis seem to understand, but I am still in the dark. Could you please explain?”
Lis said, “No Chiara, they have been very wise to speak as they have. Gèng, what do you want us to hold in trust for you?”